Well, setup is generally a matter of personal preference. Since you're a beginner, obviously you haven't established any yet. Light strings and a low action setup are probably sound advice for a beginner, because until you develop callouses on your fingers, they're gonna be plenty sore!
Don't get discouraged, your fingers will get used to it in a few weeks.
Setup usually involves adjusting the action and the harmonics of the instrument. Be sure to let the guitar tech know your preference in strings before he does the setup, because they will make a difference in how the instrument is setup. I'm personally using Tomastik-Insfeld flat-wounds, either the George Benson or Be-Bop sets. I don't recommend them for everyone, though. They're expensive and flat-wounds are generally preferred by jazz-players. Also, I tend to play bass in groups, so I use heavier than average gauges so the resistance builds strength in my fingers.
For what you're doing, I'd prolly go with either Martin or D'Addario round-wound lights, either bronze or steel. Again, you'll have to try a few different sets and find out what you like. Interestingly, the Martin's are usually the cheaper of the 2, but I've generally found I preferred their sound to the D'Addario's. A great string at a great price, but again, you'll have to experiment.
